Welcome to Hyperion Records, an independent British classical label devoted to presenting high-quality recordings of music of all styles and from all periods from the twelfth century to the twenty-first.

Hyperion offers both CDs, and downloads in a number of formats. The site is also available in several languages.

Please use the dropdown buttons to set your preferred options, or use the checkbox to accept the defaults.

Don't show me this message again

Missa L'homme armé sexti toni

Introduction

Josquin’s Mass Sexti toni (‘in the sixth mode’) is so called because he has transposed the melody to make its final note F (as opposed to the more normal G), giving it a major-key tonality. This element of transposition is one of the features borrowed from Super voces musicales, though there, it was turned into a constructional principle. The idea of stating the melody in retrograde has also been transferred from the other Mass, though instead of giving the direct and retrograde forms in consecutive statements as he did before, here in the third Agnus Dei Josquin states them both at the same time. These form the lowest two parts in a movement where the number of voice-parts has been increased from four to six, and the upper voices are in two paired canons at the unison. While this shows exceptional compositional virtuosity, the actual sound in this final Agnus Dei is most unfamiliar, suggesting, if anything, the methods of such modern minimalist composers as Philip Glass.

The remainder of the setting seems more relaxed though, in fact, Josquin can be heard to be constantly trying out new speeds, new rhythms and new scorings for the L’homme armé tune, now complete, now with a few notes used as the basis for an ostinato pattern or a canon. The wide overall range of the four voice-parts brings to the writing the kind of sonority which is associated with Palestrina, and Josquin constantly uses this to imaginative effect, nowhere more memorably than at ‘Et resurrexit’ in the Credo. For showing all these different aspects of his extraordinary technique, this Mass must rank as one of the most accomplished productions of a composer long held to be the greatest writer of his time.

"If one were looking for a superstar among Renaissance composers then Josquin is unquestionably the front runner. He was a star in his lifetime and he has become a star again more recently, aided in part when the recording of the two Masses on the ...» More

Sacred Music from the Renaissance Era for Celestial and Secular Radio. When Peter Phillips founded The Tallis Scholars in 1973 sacred vocal music from the Renaissance Era was seldom heard on radio. Now it is firmly established as one of the great ...» More

Glory to God in the highest and on earth peace to men of goodwill. We praise you. We bless you. We worship you. We glorify you. We give thanks to you for your great glory. Lord God, heavenly King, almighty God the Father, O Lord, the only begotten Son, Jesus Christ. Lord God, Lamb of God, Son of the Father. You take away the sins of the world, have mercy on us. You take away the sins of the world, receive our prayer. You sit at the right hand of the Father, have mercy on us. For you only are holy. You only are the Lord. You only are the most high, Jesus Christ. With the Holy Spirit in the glory of God the Father. Amen.

I believe in one God, the Father, the almighty maker of heaven and earth, of all that is seen and unseen. I believe in one Lord, Jesus Christ, the only begotten Son of God. Eternally begotten of the Father. God from God, light from light, true God from true God. Begotten not made, of one being with the Father: through him all things were made. For us men and for our salvation, he came down from heaven. By the power of the Holy Spirit he became incarnate of the virgin Mary: And was made man. For our sake he was crucified: under Pontius Pilate he suffered death and was buried. On the third day he rose again in accordance with the scriptures. He ascended into heaven: and is seated at the right hand of the Father. He shall come again in glory to judge the living and the dead: and his kingdom shall have no end. I believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the giver of life: who proceeds from the Father and the Son. With the Father and the Son he is worshipped and glorified; he has spoken through the Prophets. I believe in one holy, catholic and apostolic Church. I acknowledge one baptism for the forgiveness of sins. And I look for the resurrection of the dead. And the life of the world to come. Amen.

Lamb of God, you take away the sins of the world, have mercy on us. Lamb of God, you take away the sins of the world, have mercy on us. Lamb of God, you take away the sins of the world, grant us peace.

Lamb of God, you take away the sins of the world, have mercy on us. Lamb of God, you take away the sins of the world, have mercy on us. Lamb of God, you take away the sins of the world, grant us peace.

Few compositions before the age of Johann Sebastian Bach are more intriguing than this one. Take a popular song – here the tune called ‘L’homme armé’; cut it in half; turn one half backwards, and place it on top of the other; slow the whole thing down; and compose two tight canons above it. It sounds complicated – and technically it must have been hard to make – yet the result, dating from around the year 1500, is one of the loveliest things Josquin ever wrote.